Jambukeswarar Temple, Thiruvanaikaval – Greatness of
Temple
Mother
Ambica is praised as Akhilandeswari – Ruler and Protector of the world.
This place is one of the Shakthi Peetas. It is said that Ambica performs
puja to Lord during middays. The priest performing puja to Mother at this
time, dresses himself in sari and wears the crown of Ambica, comes to Lord’s
shrine with music plays to perform the midday puja thus showing Ambica herself
praying to Lord. He performs abishekam to Lord and Gomatha (cow) and
returns to Ambica shrine.
Devotees
worship the priest at this time considering him as Ambica herself. It is
also said that Mother Ambica performed penance on Lord here in the month of
Aadi-July-August, hence Fridays in Aadi is celebrated grandly. On this
Friday, the temple is open from 2.00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m. continuously.
Mother graces as Mahalakshmi in the morning, as Parvathi in the afternoon and
as Saraswathi in the evening. As Lord was a teacher-Guru and Mother a
student in the place, there is more student devotees in the temple.
There
are no doors in the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Jambukeswara but a stone window
with nine holes. Devotees have to worship the Lord through these holes
only. The nine holes of the window represent the nine outlets in the
human body which we have to keep under control while worshipping Lord Shiva.
While traditionally Annabishekam is performed on the full moon day in
Aipasi-October-November, the ritual is followed here on the full moon day in
Vaikasi-May-June.
It is
also noteworthy that there is a perennial spring in Lord Shiva shrine. There
will be more water in the sanctum in the rainy season in
Aipasi-October-November. As Annabishekam is not possible at this time, the same
is performed in Vaikasi when the floor would be just wet only. On the
Aipasi Poornima-full moon day Lord is covered with sacred ash.
Lord played a miracle here too as he did many in Madurai. A Chola king
while constructing the fifth corridor-prakara of the temple, had to meet his
enemy in war. Though duty compelled him to go to war, his mind was in the
temple construction and with Lord.
Lord
Shiva came to the place in the guise of Vibhuti Chithar and completed the
work. Hence, this prakara is named Vibhuti Prakara and the walls around
as Thiruneetran Tirumathil. Sacred ash is Vibhuti in Sanskrit and
Tiruneeru in Tamil and Madhil the wall in Tamil. There is a shrine for
Vibhuti Chithar on the banks of Brahmma Theertha.
In the
early days, Mother Ambica was in a furious form. To control the fury,
generally a Sri Chakra installed at the feet of the Goddess. As an
alternative, Acharya Sri Adi Sankara prepared two ear rings in which he applied
the Sri Chakra power and adored Ambica. Mother became all merciful and
smiling to devotees. He also installed her sons Lord Vinayaka and Lord
Muruga before her as a Mother cannot afford to be angry towards her
kids. Of the Shiva Ganas serving Lord in Kailash, two of them, Pushpadanda
and Maliavan began to fight with each other to decide their rank in the service
of Lord.
At a
stage, they cursed each other to be born as a spider and elephant. Maliavan was
born as spider and Pushpadanda the elephant. Both prayed here for relief
but not without fighting each other. The spider entered into the ear of the
elephant to kill it. Lord Shiva granted salvation to elephant only and
made the spider to be born again for its attempt to murder.
Spider was born to Chola king Subaveda and queen Kamalavathi. He was the
Chola king then as Kochengat Chozhan. He built Mada temples to Lord Shiva
in which elephants cannot enter. He also renovated this temple preventing
entry of elephants. There is a shrine for this king in the temple.
It is
also noteworthy that Wedding Festival (Tiru Kalyanam) is not celebrated in the
temple. Lord Shiva granted darshan to Ambica when she was in penance here
but did not marry her. As such there is no Palli Arai Puja though the
Palli Arai exists. Lord Chokkanatha and Mother Meenakshi in the temple
are taken to this shrine at nights. No wedding festival is celebrated for
other deities too in the temple.
A
Brahmin prayed to Mother Akhilandeswari to bless him to become a noted
poet. To bless him, Ambica appeared before him as an ordinary woman
chewing betel leaves. She asked him if she could spit the betel juice in
his mouth as she could not spit in the temple. The Brahmin grew
angry. Same time, another devotee, Varadhan by name came to the
temple. He was very particular about cleanliness in the temples.
Mother approached this man. He gladly said that she can very well do it
and opened his mouth. He became a famous poet celebrated as Kalamegam in
later days.
Based on
this event, those ambitious of becoming scholars, offer Thamboolam (betel and
nuts), as nivedhana to Mother. Lord Muruga appears furiously on the banks
of Jambu Theertha with a demon under his feet. Saint Arunagiriar prayed
to him that he should be protected from thoughts of lust etc. Lord Muruga
has thus a demon under his feet personifying lust. This is a very rare
form of Lord Muruga.
